1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing footwear soles, and in particular to a method and a machine for molding footwear soles.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The method and machine of the present invention incorporate several important innovations, and represent developments of the apparatus and method disclosed in Canadian Pat. No. 900,116, issued to Bata Shoe Company of Canada Limited on May 16, 1972. When molding soles using the apparatus described in this patent, a large quantity of sprue is produced. The sprues must be removed by grippers and recycled or discarded. Moreover, the use of the apparatus is somewhat labor intensive. While the soles produced are wiped from the lower molds, they are not removed from the immediate vicinity of the apparatus, i.e. the finished soles must be carried away manually from the apparatus for further processing.